Guitar Hero: Dirge of Fantasia
by Emerald Sonata
Summary: In an alternate and medieval reality, there exist a war between the dark King's Royalgard army and young individuals who wield the power of Rock, called Guitar Heroes. Based from "GH III: Legends of Rock". Real game songs included. Original Characters.
1. Chapter 1: Union Bells

**All non-original musical piece will be tagged with '*' and will recieve a proper sourcing.**

**This is based through the idea of "Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock" by Activision.**

**__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________**

**Guitar Hero – Dirge of Fantasia**

**Chapter 1: Union Bells**

It was a bright autumn afternoon day, with the sun hovering clear and proud over the meadows and fields. The shadows of clouds silently crawled across the emerald green grass, shading nearby commoners that farmed their crops in peace.

A farmer hacked away at the wheat with his dull sickle as he stood hunched on his knees. He then carefully tossed the harvested wheat into his basket that was strapped to his back. He spared a moment to relief himself as he straightened. After pushing his wide-brim straw hat away from his eyes, he gazed up at the beautiful sky. The old farmer could not help a smile at how peaceful things were.

That was until he heard a snarl nearby.

The farmer cautiously turned and eyeed a spot over the sea of wheat. There was a figure that prowled through the wheat field.

"MONSTERS!"

*****

Along a quiet and even road, flanked by trails of healthy green trees, strode a stranger in a long cloak and hood. Behind his back was a long strange bag with an awkward shape. It resembled to that of a leather, upside-down, coffin of some sort. The boy hefted the object across his shoulders without a sound.

The stranger casually strolled on as his head turned to eye the graceful scenery.

"So pretty…" he whispered.

"AAAAAHHHHHH!"

The scream broke the tranquility of the road and the stranger calmly turned his head forward. A group of farmers zipped right by him, kicking up a huge amount of dust and wind. They're flight was so fast it even whipped off the stranger's hood.

It was revealed to be a boy with spiky hazel hair and cerulean colored eyes. He blinked in confusion, and the dust out of his eyes, as he turned to the fleeing farmers with curiosity.

"Where are you going?" The boy turned back and his eyes noticed something ahead.

He casually stepped to one side, just as a deadly figure flew right by him. The figure came down on all fours and swerved around to meet the boy's gaze. The boy calmly turned and eyed the attacker. It was a large boar-like creature with blood-red eyes, clammy blue hide, sharp tusked with trails of dried blood, and an ugly snarl.

"Oh…so that's why they ran…"

The boy then slung off his baggage down his right arm and swiftly unzipped it.

"You shouldn't pick on someone weaker than you," smiled the boy, calmly, "or else someone stronger will come after you…"

Without warning the boar charged forward. The boy was ready and he drew out an object from his case.

A unique screech blasted into the air and made the trees sway away from the force. Soon, the sound went silent and the trees still stood awkwardly leaning back.

The boy returned the strange object into the leather case, swung the case around his shoulder, and casually strode off.

As for the beast, it was utterly stuck deep into a nearby boulder and was pinned upside down. A look of dizziness swirled over his eyes, as the boy disappeared down the road.

*****

In a nearby town, people busied themselves with their daily work. Blacksmiths pounded against metal rods that were soon to be born as swords. Bakers kneaded their thick dough and opened their ovens to check the sweet scent of fresh bread. Butchers proudly hung their meaty product across their stalls and began to hack at more to sell off.

Within the midst of busy bodies stood out a young girl with long white hair and turquoise eyes. She blissfully hummed a beautiful tune as she sat behind the back of a crowded inn. The girl gracefully washed the dishes and tended a hanging line of drying clothes.

"Lucy!"

The girl perked her head up at the sound of her name. She turned and peered into the Inn's back window, a mere square hold through a clay and brick wall.

"Yes, Mrs. Loriee!"

A mid-age woman expose her head from behind the window. Loose strands of amber hair drooped over the woman's face from her tightly tied back hair. She wore a small and sooty bonnet as she had a tired look over her expression.

"I'm sorry dear, but we run out of both goat and cow milk…could you please get some for me…"

Lucy wiped her hands clean, stood up, and smiled.

"Of course. I'll head to Mr. Cornius for them."

"Thank you, dear, you're an angel…"

The woman, Mrs. Loriee, walked away from the window and left Lucy's cheeks to blush. She turned away, just as she saw another person strode by the window, and hid her scarlet face. A look of no-confidence slowly shaded over her lonely eyes.

"I'm…no angel…"

*****

"Mr. Cornius!"

An old man, named Mr. Cornius, turned away from tending his sheep to the sweet and familiar voice. He then saw a young girl with long white hair and bright turquoise eyes, who stood behind a rickety old fence.

"Ah, Lucy! Please come in, I forgot to lock the latch again…" grinned the old man.

Lucy returned a thankful nod and gingerly opened the gate. At her touch, a piece of the wooden gate fell off and cluttered on the ground.

"Ah! I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" squeaked Lucy.

Mr. Cornius returned a forgiving wave and a tender grin, "Ah, don't worry. In due time that thing will come apart by itself. So what can I do for you, my child?"

Lucy attempted to recompose herself, but the anxiety still lingered in her voice, "I…need some goat and cow's milk…for Mrs. Loriee…"

Mr. Cornius gave a youthful chuckle, "I still see you are working as hard as every, my dear Lucy. Why though? You do not owe us anything…"

"I do…"

Mr. Cornius turned to a solemn Lucy and his smiled faded a little.

"I…owe everyone in this town so much…if none of you had let me stayed…I would have still been lost and might have died somewhere out there…"

"My dear, there's nothing to be ashamed of receiving humble hospitality. We are simple people and do not ask much. If it were another lost child that appeared out of the woods, we still would care for them."

"I…appreciate your kindness…but…"

"No 'buts'," grinned Mr. Cornius, "if you wish to stay, stay. If you wish to continue to find your home, you are always welcomed to visit."

A slow and hopeful smile brightened over Lucy's expression. She returned a deep bow.

"Thank you…"

Mr. Cornius chuckled and stood up. He stretched the arc of his back and turned to a nearby shack.

"Wait right here, I'll return with the order and you can−"

"Commoner!"

The boastful voice of absolute authority broke the tranquility between the young girl and the old farmer. Lucy could not help a squeak and jump of surprise as she turned around.

From one part of the old fence, a small platoon of soldiers in shining silver armor stood. Their leader was helmet-less and sat arrogantly upon the back of a tired horse. A pair of royal flags flew behind him as his soldiers stood at attention.

"You, commoner," called what seemed to be the Captain.

"Aye?" answered Mr. Cornius.

"Have you seen a stranger with a unique musical instrument that gives off a strange sound?" demanded the Captain.

Mr. Cornius thought it over real clearly for a moment.

"Well?" asked the Captain again.

"I don't think so…Why I have been so busy I haven't taken any notice of it. But I do know there hasn't been a newcomer here for the last few weeks."

"Very well…" muttered the Captain.

He then turned to another horseman and gestured him closer. When the second rider approached the Captain at arm's length, the armored soldier was instantly gripped at the shoulders and was drawn closer to a dark face.

"I thought you said Royal Intelligence spotted that Dirge around here a week ago? Where is he?"

"I…know not, captain."

The Captain shoved the rider away from his face. The rider then backed his horse away with a couple of fearful steps.

"Fine," cringed the Captain, "By order of his Majesty, King Baldaroy, I demand you tell us where the nearest inn is!"

Mr. Cornius perked up an eyebrow and stole a smile at Lucy, "A lot of big words for impolite manners…"

Lucy wanted to smile, but the very sight of the armed groups made her shiver.

Mr. Cornius turned back with a peaceful look, "Go into the town and take the right road by the well, you can't miss it."

The captain returned a nod.

Lucy then spotted a soldier eyed directly at her and he whispered something into another's ear. The other soldier turned at him with amazement and quickly rounded up several other soldiers.

Soon, the entire infantry were muttering to one another. This caused an air of irritation to buzz over the Captain's head.

"WHAT NOW?!"

The soldiers froze and quickly recomposed themselves before the captain turned on them. A look of confusion swamped his face, until a single soldier approached his horse.

"Beggin' me pardons, captain, but we was all wonderin'…" the soldier stopped and glimpsed at Lucy. This time her face went pale with realization. The soldier continued, "If she's…she's…"

"Out with it…" muttered the captain under his breath. The soldier could not speak it out loud, so he made the Captain lean over for a whisper.

After a moment, the Captain's eyes widen and he straightened with confusion.

"What? It can't be!" The Captain whirled on the spot and stared at Lucy. She faltered back with shock and tripped over a sheep. The creature gave out a surprise groan and instantly more sheep crowded over the girl. She struggled to free herself from the sea of living fluff and wool.

A soldier tried to hold back a snicker. Another bit his lips, but still breathed a chuckle. Eventually, the entire infantry burst into an uproar of laughter that even made some of them toss and turn on the ground.

Lucy popped her head out from the sea of sheep, her cheeks burning crimson. More laughter enshrouded the overall chaos as a massive vein crossed the captain's veins.

"WHAT IS IT NOW?!" He whirled on his men in an instant. His expression faltered when he saw his soldiers silent and all standing at attention.

The captain rolled his eyes and kicked at his horse. The creature gave a neigh of disproval until it was kicked again. Soon, the furious captain strode off as his men restraint a snicker behind him.

"There's no way on earth that pathetic girl is the missing Princess…and there is no way on earth a pathetic Princess like her can take back the throne from our current Majesty…"

Then the royal platoon left, with the captain's grumbles drowned out by heavy marching.

Mr. Cornius shook his head with a sigh, "Looks like our quiet days are over until they leave…"

Lucy hid the lower half of her burning red face behind a sheep and tears started to well…

"Mother…" she uttered.

"Uh…excuse me…"

Lucy heard the voice and perked her head up at the gate.

A young boy, with a torn cloak, stood behind the rickety gate and he stared right at her. He had spiky hazel hair and bright tropical-sea-cerulean eyes that glimmered on sight. Across the back of his shoulder slung a long, strange, and worn out leather case.

"Um…are you alright?" he asked.

She then realized where she was and tried to get up, but the sheep kept walking over her.

"Sorry about that, Lucy," said Mr. Cornius. He began to pull away the sheep from surrounding Lucy.

"I'll help to!" called the boy.

He pushed opened the gate. Suddenly the entire door crumbled into pieces as the boy tripped over one.

He gave a nervous cry as he faltered toward Lucy and the flock of sheep.

Mr. Cornius had just pulled one sheep away and turned to place it in a nearby pen. What was about to happen, did not occur to him until he turned back.

The boy stumbled over his very feet as he tried to keep his balance. He inched closer towards Lucy, who was still trapped by the animals. The group of sheep noticed a dark shadow and they looked up. In an instant they cleared away and freed Lucy, but…

The boy then fell onto his knees and was thrown forward at the girl. In that same instant, their lips accidentally locked.

Eyes of both Lucy and the boy widened madly as they stared at one another.

The boy pulled back with anxiety, his cheeks instantly burned. Lucy's face also turned a deep shade of crimson.

"Oh, oh, oh…love on first sight…"

Lucy squeaked and the boy choked. They turned to Mr. Cornius, a sly and mischievous smile on his face.

"WHAT?!" the two squeaked.

Mr. Cornius chuckled as he continued to place the sheep into a nearby pen.

"Ah, the great feeling of love when two destined lover meet for the first time…how I dreamed of having young love again…"

Lucy tried to speak, but her voice was too squeaky to be heard clearly. The boy attempted to speak, but jumbles of words poured out of his quivering lips. Mr. Cornius grinned again.

"Don't worry, Lucy, I won't tell anyone…"

Instantly, the old man gave a wink and strode off into a nearby milk shack.

"WAIT! PLEASE DON'T TELL!" squeaked Lucy.

It was no use, when the old man returned a carefree wave over his shoulder.

Lucy felt her innards fall into a bottomless pit of despair.

"Tripped…Sorry…I…No clue…Ah…" uttered the boy.

Lucy turned to him and was surprised to see a sincerely apologetic and scared look on his face. He tried to speak by his voice kept chocking on words, making his face even redder by the second.

"FORGIVE ME!" he finally cried and bowed his head. Lucy only stared at him and the image triggered something in the back of her mind.

"You're…just like me…"

The boy perked his head up, "I'm sorry?"

Lucy took in a deep breath to steady her lungs, but her feet kept its shiver.

"Wh-what's your name?"

The boy sat up on his knees and blankly stared at her, "Uh…Echo…"

"E…cho?"

"Your's…"

"L-Lucy…"

Despite the boy's fear, he cracked a shaky smile, "Nice to meet you, Lucy."

*****

"OH MY, MY, MY!" shrieked Mrs. Loriee in excitement.

Inside the inn, a blushing young couple sat together at an empty table. The Inn-lady danced around them with such excitement, that the very sight caught the attention of Inn attendees and townspeople.

Even the Captain and his men, who all sat on the Inn's upper dining level, took curious glimpses at the commotion downstairs.

"OH! My little angel is all grown up! She has finally found herself another angel!" squealed Mrs. Loriee.

"NO! IT'S NOT TRUE!" squeaked Lucy. Her voice was instantly drowned out by a cheer from the onlookers.

"I have a strange suspicion that wedding bells would be heard awfully soon!" guffawed the town's Butcher.

"Oh what a delightful moment!" cried the town's Baker, with a French accent, "I'll gladly bake this world's largest wedding cake for you, my dear Lucy!"

"PLEASE DON'T I−" screamed Lucy.

"THREE CHEERS FOR THE NEWLY WEDS!" bellowed the town's Preacher.

"HIP-HIP-HOORAH!"

Lucy's face burned deep red from the remaining two cheers. On the other hand, Echo looked quite calm as he gently sipped a cup of milk.

"Uh…Echo?"

Echo did not seemed to listen as he lightly nodded his head to an unheard beat.

"Echo?"

Lucy tapped Echo's shoulder and he woke up from a deep trance. He then pulled out small white device, attached to a white wire-like thread, from his ear and stared curiously at Lucy. A faint sound of music could be heard from the ear-piece.

"Uh…yes…" he blinked.

"Are you not at all bothered by them?" wondered Lucy.

Echo kept his stare for a moment and pulled out a rectangular device. A screen glowed when he fiddled with its grey ring and he turned it off with a press of his thumb. He gingerly placed it into his pocket and turned back to Lucy.

"Bother about what?" he asked.

"Oi! When's the wedding gonna be? Me and the boys will gladly give you an honourable salute of guns for your celebration!" cried a semi-drunk soldier.

"WEDDING?!" screeched Echo. He bolted up from his seat and was instantly swarmed with blessings and cheer.

"We're counting on ya to bring Lucy every happiness she ever wanted, mate!" called the town's Tailor.

"May the union of Lucy and…what's your name, son?" said the Preacher.

"Echo…"

"…May Lucy and Echo be blessed with God's divine fortune!"

Echo's knees chattered under him and he collapsed into his seat.

"That…" breathed Lucy.

"A wedding…" uttered Echo. Lucy turned to him with a look of confusion. She was surprised to see a calm and carefree smile on his face.

"It would be great to have you as my bride," he smiled. Lucy's face blushed even darker with red hues.

"ALL DRINKS ARE ON THE HOUSE, BOYS!" shrieked the Inn-Lady.

A massive cheer shook the entire Inn. Cries of glee rebounded off the walls and eventually bounced off of the captain's gloomy forehead.

He muttered as he took a swig of ale from his mug.

"I hate weddings…"

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Author's Notes

"Guitar Hero" game series produced and owned by Activision.


	2. Chapter 2: Dreamweaver and Firesplitter

****

**All non-original musical piece will be tagged with '*' and will recieve a proper sourcing.**

**This is based through the idea of "Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock" by Activision.**

**__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________**

**Guitar Hero – Dirge of Fantasia**

**Chapter 2: Dreamweaver and Firesplitter**

Lucy was reluctant to slip out of the Inn as the echoes of cheerful townspeople sang a song in her honor. As she escaped, her ears twitched at several wedding songs that fluttered down the corridors. She finally returned to the spot she once worked at, before all of this happened.

She sat down on the stool and busied herself with more dishes. She tried to scrub loudly so she could drown out the villager's cheers for her future. It proved to be quite futile.

"Are you alright?"

Lucy squeaked with fear and she spun around, nearly falling off her seat. It was Echo, who appeared at the Inn door, and walked towards her with a calm smile.

"O-oh…it's you…"

"Sorry if I scared you…"

Lucy turned her head back to wash the dishes. She tried to hide her red cheeks from his eyes.

"Mind if I join you?"

Lucy took a sharp breath in and turned to Echo.

The boy took off his torn cloak and hung it on top of a nearby broom. He also rested the strange case against the wall, by the broom, and rolled up his sleeves.

He wore a long-sleeved blue dress shirt with out a tie. He wore grey pants, and had a long yellow scarf around his neck.

Echo pulled up a couple of bricks to sit on, grabbed a nearby towel, and started to wash the dishes with Lucy.

She could not believe what she was seeing. Lucy stared at the boy's face, which was in depth with his work. He looked sound and graceful as he helped Lucy with her work.

She instantly snapped out of her train of thoughts at the clatter from the clean plate pile.

"Wait you don't have to…"

"I don't mind…"

Lucy fell silent. Slowly, she continued with her chores as they spoke to one another shyly.

"Your mother sure is happy about your wedding with me…"

Lucy blushed, "Uh…she's not my mother…"

"Oh…"

"I…am an outsider. I was originally lost in the woods until a villager from this town brought me here…"

"Why were you lost?"

"…"

Lucy held back the answer and kept debated to herself if she should tell. She had not told anyone why she ended up being a lonely girl since she was first found.

Echo smiled and rested a plate on a stack, "That's okay. If you feel ready to say it, I'll be glad to listen…"

Lucy raised her gaze at him and could not help a thankful smile.

It was amazing how the people of this town treated her as their very own child, she thought. How they always took good care of her and they all shared many happy memories for the last few months. She felt that she owed them her life, but they never wanted anything in return.

Now this boy, a stranger to her, also shared this kindness. She had not felt this kind of family love for a long time; a really long time.

"Uh, Echo…where are you from?" whispered Lucy.

"Far from here…wish I could show you exactly but I lost my map on the way…"

"Are you travelling?"

"Ah…around the world…"

Lucy froze halfway, "Around the world? But that would…"

"Take months? Years even?" smiled Echo, "I've heard that from all kinds of people that have not tried to accomplish what I am doing…along with many others…"

"Others?" wondered Lucy. She then eyed the case that silently leaned against the Inn walls, "What do you mean others?"

"People like me…they travel too…"

"Where and why?"

"Well we all travel for different reasons…but our goals are mostly likely the same…"

"What?"

Echo rested another clean plate on a pile and stared up at the bright blue sky. His eyes glimmered like the calm morning sea as Lucy felt captivated to watch them.

"To be the best at what we can do…"

"…Echo…"

Echo lowered his gaze to Lucy. She hesitated, but forced herself to continue, "What is in that case?"

Echo calmly turned to his leather case. It was worn and dusty from many years of travelling. Holes began to bore into various places, as glints appeared from behind the holes.

"My partner in arms…"

"What?"

"Hey, Lucy!"

Echo and Lucy stopped what they were doing and turned at a nearby doorway.

There stood a young man, almost the same age as Echo, who leaned against the door with a haughty behaviour.

He had short pointy red hair, with a thin loose ponytail hanging from the back of his head. His eyes were dull yellow as he stared at both Lucy and Echo. He also wore a leather vest with woollen frills, a unique black and silver arm band, a black shirt, and jean pants.

"Oh, Kyle! I'm sorry, I forgot to clean you room this afternoon!"

"That's another thing I wanted to ask you about…Who's the tin-can parade?" grumbled Kyle.

"The soldiers?" Lucy felt a chill down her back, "They're the King's Royalgards, I suppose…"

"Thanks for the heads-up…I'll go clean my room now…" muttered Kyle.

"W-wait! That's my−" called after Lucy.

Kyle waved back a hand and walked into the door, "Nah, today is much worse than before, I'll clean it…"

With that he left them.

"Who was that," blinked Echo.

Lucy turned to lower her gaze at the tub of soapy water before her.

"He is Kyle, another outsider like you and me…he's been here for a month."

"Where is he from?"

"I think he once said Winder's Ridge, behind Mount Seyloff…"

"You help him clean his room?"

"Yes. There were times where he'll clean it himself…" Lucy gave a smile, "he may look cold on the outside, but he usually is kind and friendly."

"If you don't mind me asking, how come he always leaves it in a mess?" wondered Echo

"I have no idea. I always find the floor covered with empty cans that have burnt holes pierced into them…and…"

"And what?"

"There was one time where I found sheets of paper with strange musical notes. They were different than the ones I always know…"

Echo kept his calm gaze on as he watched Lucy. Soon, he cracked a grin and return to the dishes.

"What a strange person," he said.

*****

Night fell as the moon shone high up in the sky. The evening air was chilly and Lucy shivered for a brief moment.

She finished up the last of her work by taking down the dried clothes from the clothing line. One by one, she pulled out the pegs to retrieve the clothes and placed them all in a basket and peg-bucket.

Lucy could not help another shiver again and sneezed from the cold. She sniffed and turned her gaze up at the Inn walls. Out of the several other windows that were dark and silent, only two were lit.

"Kyle's up at this hour again?" blinked Lucy. She turned to the second lit window and blinked as well, "Echo too?"

After a quiet moment, she forgotten the lights and pulled down the last of the clothes.

"Evening, bride-to-be…" whispered a slurred voice.

Lucy let out a squeak and turned.

Behind her stood a Royalgard soldier, who had a groggy expression on his face. He staggered from side to side with a bottle of the Inn's homemade beer. A thick smile waved across his lips.

"Top of the evening, me fair-lady," gargled the soldier.

Lucy took cautious steps back as the soldier strode forward in a not-so-straight line.

"What do you want?" wondered Lucy.

"I was wondering, me precious, why do you want a young child to be your lawfully-wedded husband…Aye, he ain't even of proper age yet!"

The soldier staggered forward with a dizzy pace. Lucy leapt aside just as he stumbled right by her. He quickly recomposed himself and faltered back a little. He finally turned his uneven gaze to the frightened girl.

"Come now luv, why do you get yourself a fine man that will protect you…"

"N-no! Stay away!"

Before Lucy could escape, the soldier's sudden burst of speed caught her off guard. He latched his metal gloved hands around Lucy's wrist and arm with a dreamy grin.

"Why don't you be my wife…"

"No! Let go of me! Let go…"

In an instant, the soldier enveloped her in his heavy arms as she fought against his embrace. Unable to think of anything else she screamed.

"ECHO!"

The soldier was suddenly yanked back by a third party's hand. He was then easily tossed into the air and he crumbled under his own weight on landing.

Lucy threw her arms around her rescuer and let her tears fall against his chest.

"Are you alright?" wondered Echo with absolute calm. Lucy hesitated before she returned a light nod.

The boy turned his bright cerulean eyes to the soldier who stood back up.

"Now look here you brat…"

Echo whipped off his leather case and unzipped its side. Single-handedly, he drew out a long shining object with his left hand. He folded the object over Lucy, which she stood between the object and Echo, as the boy curled his arms to reach the center of the object.

The soldier was taken aback as the moon shone down.

The object was an electric guitar, with burning red-rims, a dull sky-blue body, pointy fins, and a long sun-yellow neck with silver strings. Across the bottom half of the base, was an engraving of a single name.

_Arbiter._

The guitar hummed gently from the winds' whisper as Echo held Lucy close to him.

"Don't you ever dare touch her…"

Despite the words, his voice was calm and passive. It was as if he was asking nicely.

The soldier's eyes widen and instantly became sober.

"Hey! You're a−"

Echo strummed on the strings of his guitar and a burst of electrifying waves pulsed. It instantly rammed into the soldier and threw him miles away into the air.

Lucy could not help by cup her ears from the strange musical note. It did not sound like any instruments she has ever heard of, yet this one was extremely unique. It felt like energy was given off from it.

Echo planted his right strumming hand over the strings to still them. The note instantly went silent and the bushes around them stopped swaying.

"Sorry if I scared you…I don't think I can stay here any longer…" spoke Echo to Lucy.

"Darn right you're correct!"

Echo and Lucy turned to meet a pair of angry eyes, followed by more stares.

It was the Captain of Royalgard platoon, who held onto the top of his head, and his men. The soldiers rested their hands over their swords, some gripped their spears, and riders eyed Echo with utmost caution.

"So…a Dirge finally appears right where we wanted him to be…" grumbled the Captain.

Echo smiled calmly, "You guys sure are quick…"

The Captain growled, "Thanks to you, that good-for-nothing drunk of a soldier fell right on top of my head when we were about to leave!"

"Darn…almost made it scot free," grinned Echo. A look of rage crossed the Captain's face.

"Get him!"

Soldiers flooded out from their ranks and swiftly surrounded Lucy and Echo. Lucy gripped Echo's clothes tightly as he calmly eyed the enemy around them. Soon, spears and swords were drawn and they all aimed at the two. The Captain's horse cluttered closer to his men and smirked.

"Look's like you are mine, Dirge."

Echo suddenly gave a casual and hearty laugh. Lucy, the Captain, and the soldiers were all taken aback by the boy's air of tranquility.

"I'm sure you've heard this but…I'm not a Dirge," smiled Echo. The Captain glared and he gestured the spears to draw closer at the boy. The boy smiled them off, "I'm a Guitar Hero."

With a single stroke of his hand, a blast of electric energy waves boomed. The ground around the soldiers shook and erupted into smoke. More soldiers with swords had their weapons shattered like cheap glass. Even the horses reared back and threw their riders off.

Echo rested his hand on the string and the chaos fell silent. Lucy shivered with fear, but a calm hand rested on her shoulder for a moment.

"Stay strong, Lucy. I won't let anyone hurt you, nor give you an unhappy memory…" breathed Echo.

Lucy could only breathe. Her thoughts were numb and she felt cold. Only his words gave her comfort and strength as she held close to him tighter.

The Captain bolted to his feet and screamed at his men to return to formation.

"EVERYONE, ON YOUR FEET! BACK IN LINE!"

The soldiers staggered to their feet and instantly reformed a large platoon formation. They drew out more swords and held their spears at the ready. They all stood at utmost attention as the Captain drew out his sword as well.

Echo released Lucy and stood in front of her. He threw a strap from the guitar and around the back of his neck and right shoulder. He then fiddled with the knots of his instrument and lightly plucked at his strings. The soldiers trembled when he did so.

"You guys like to hear a song?"

The Captain was taken off guard by Echo's question, but instantly steeled himself.

"This one is dedicated to my fiancée," grinned Echo.

Lucy stood still and her cheeks blushed. Echo stole a quick glance at her and smiled sheepishly.

The boy then turn back and held onto his long yellow scarf. He gripped it with his right hand and suddenly swiped the scarf across the strings of his guitar. On contact the scarf sparked, as if metallic, and it automatically burned a bright yellow glow. As Echo tossed the scarf to flutter behind him, his eyes glowed, electrifyingly, ice-blue.

"ATTACK!"

Another massive wave of armored men stampeded forward. They held their spears up high and they all converged on Echo with a mad cry.

"_Monsters_*!" called Echo.

His finger then began to pluck at several notes. The guards instantly froze with fear and readied themselves from a blow. None came at first.

_Echo: Girl…what's come between you and – me? Look right through me…_

He then strummed harder and three portals of light opened up behind him. At the moment the portals opened, several winged creatures flew out from and into the sky.

The first wave of soldiers fell over their feet and stumbled to the ground. The Captain nearly dropped his sword from his quivering hands.

The magically summoned creatures were out of this world. They had shining white flesh, with silver armored wings and head-gear with a green v-shaped visor. They also had a jagged and knife-like yellow horn across their foreheads as they whinnied and stamped in the middle of the air. Across their backs were cannons, charged with sparkling blue electricity.

_Echo: …I can't help this – feeling anymore…I won't – go ~ any where ~ …maybe you'll see me…_

The flying white and silver unicorns fluttered around like prideful eagles. They flew in circles above the heads of the soldiers as they were stricken with fear.

Lucy slowly took steps forward and stared at the swirling halo of magnificent creatures. Her eyes twinkled at the sight of beautiful and graceful winged-horses.

One swooped down and hovered around her. It leaned its gentle head against Lucy's shoulders and she lightly stroke its face. More hovered around the girl as she stared in deep awe.

_Echo: Ohhhh…Yeah ~_

Instantly, one by one the winged-horses sprung into action.

_Echo: We are – we are the shaken – we are the monsters – inside your head…_

At the song of Echo, the winged horses dove down over the soldiers and their eyes flashed green with power. Their cannons glowed and rapidly discharged ray after rays of shining beams. Each shot tore the earth and erupted into a bright and massive explosion.

Soldiers were tossed around as they quickly broke formation and cowered in chaos.

_Echo: We are – we are mistaken – we are the voices – inside your ~ head. Yeah! Believe what you see…_

The Captain fell back from another nearby explosion and he swiped his sword at the creatures. The winged-horses easily evaded his attack and one kicked dust into his face. The captain choked and screamed curses from the top of his lungs.

"Twilights, assemble!" called Echo in the middle of his strumming.

The creatures, called the Twilights, withdrew from their assault and circled high above Echo's head like a massive halo.

The Captain tore the dirt off his face, nearly his nose too, and stood up to his feet.

"The Twilight Pegasus…that must mean…" he grumbled.

Echo nodded with a carefree smile, in depth with the music he played, "That's right, I am Guitar Hero Dreamweaver!"

The Twilights then rose into the air and swiftly dove down again.

_Echo: …We are the monsters…we are the monsters…we are the monsters…underneath your bed…_

The summoned creatures rained lightning across the scarred earth. The soldiers scattered in fear and were forced to begin their retreat.

_Echo We are the voices…we are the voices…we are the voices…underneath your bed._

A pair of Twilights swooped down and blocked off the soldiers' retreat. One at a time, they charged right at their shields and dispersed them into tumbling metal.

_Echo: We are the monster…we are the monster…we are the monsters! Yeah! Yeah! Yeah! Yeah! Yeah!_

The boy instantly drove his rapid fingers into a skilful solo. The Twilights regroups into the sky and continued firing their cannons at soldiers and horsemen. They then swooped down to crash right through them and mostly surrounded a furious Captain.

He swung his sword this way and that, only to cut air. The Twilights swiftly duck and evaded the Captain's blows as they slashed they wings against his sword. His sword was instantly sliced clean into several pieces.

The Captain fell back and gritted his teeth in utter fury. Without much choice, he began to make a hasty run after his fleeing men.

_Echo: We are – we are the shaken – we are the monsters – underneath your bed…Yeah…Believe what you see…_

The song ended with one last echoing strum of his fingers. His brightly burning yellow scarf slowly faded out and returned to normal, as did his cerulean eyes.

"Retreat!" cried the Captain, "retreat!"

"No can do tin-cans…"

Echo and Lucy gasped at the voice. The Captain turned in time to see his men backing away from a young boy. He had fiery red hair with a long thin ponytail. The boy smiled arrogantly as he adjusted the arm band around his wrist.

"That was some smooth performance," grinned Kyle. Echo stared at him with a sense of curiosity, but stopped when he noticed a similar case to his guitar's baggage.

"Out of the way! By order of the−"

Kyle instantly yanked off his long case and pulled out a long object from inside. He threw what seemed to be a strap around his neck and rested his curled right hand over the strings.

"No…" uttered the Captain.

The moon shone down to reveal the object to be another guitar. It's base was in the shape of a curled up and sneering red and white dragon. Its wings extended out like decorative fines. Kyle grinned.

"Time to rock, _Balrog_!"

His fingers flew over the strings and instantly he chained speedy notes into a catchy tune. The fiery waves rang out and threw the captain back into the air. He bowled into a group of his men on landing. The rest were either thrown into the air like toys or cupped their ears in agony as fire bit at them from all directions.

After short, electrifying, seconds the quick tune had ended. Another grin appeared on Kyle as he inhaled the music.

"This was only the intro from the _'Cliffs of Dover*'_…you like it?"

"More Dirges!" cried the captain.

A loud and fiery screech sounded off and the Captain was thrown off his feet again.

"For crying out loud! Can you ever get it through your thick skull?!"

"You're a Guitar Hero too, aren't you Kyle?" asked Echo pleasantly.

Kyle tossed Echo a finger shot, "BINGO! Ixnay the Kyle though…The name's Siren!" The young man then opened his arms wide and deeply bowed.

"With pride, I am Guitar Hero Firesplitter! Nice to meet ya!"

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

**Author's Notes**

"Guitar Hero" game series produced by Activision.

"Monsters" by Matchbook Romance 2006.

Lyrics from: [ - "Monsters" by Matchbook Romance].

"Cliffs of Dover" made famous by Eric Johnson 1996.


	3. Chapter 3: Inferno Unicorn Remix

****

**All non-original musical piece will be tagged with '*' and will receive a proper sourcing.**

**This is based through the idea of "Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock" by Activision.**

**

* * *

**

**Guitar Hero – Dirge of Fantasia**

**Chapter 3: Inferno Unicorn Remix**

The Captain of the Royalgard platoon leapt back up to his feet with a horrified look. As he stood, he swiped up a nearby sword from the ground and held it tightly with quivering hands.

"Stay back, Dirges! I'm warning you?"

As the Captain faltered back, step by step, a pair of boys followed. A young girl with long white hair and red eyes also followed behind them

One boy had a calm and free-spirited look and smile. His sea-cerulean eyes glinted under small bon fires of recently erupted chaos. The other was taller and more confident than the other. An air of arrogance hovered over his expression as his fire-red hair wavered from the night air. They both held uniquely designed electric guitars as they smirked in their own personal behaviour.

"Oh really," grinned Siren, "you and what army, might I ask?"

The Captain's mind froze for a moment. He eyed the ground. Sure enough, his knightly soldiers were all knocked out from the two boys' special performances. He eyed the two young ones with horrified eyes. They were not human, thought the Captain, but monsters.

"I'm sorry if I have to correct you again, sir, but we're not Dirges," smiled Echo, "we're Guitar Heroes."

"This is not the last of us, monsters! The Royalgard will return with a vengeance!" hollered the Captain, "We won't stop hunting all of you until every last one of your forsaken kind is ridden from the face of this planet!"

Siren casually shrugged, "Honestly, why do we have to suffer? We're only out-of-the-normal people who just love music…" A smirk crossed his lips, "only with a magical twist…"

"DIE!" In pure madness, the Captain threw his remaining life forward at the two Guitar Heroes. Siren sighed, but cut it short by glimpsing a smile at Echo.

"Up for a double-whammy?"

"Glad to."

The two strummed their guitars hard and a column of energy waves were projected. Like an invisible hand, the waves gripped the Captain square right in the chest and threw him high into the air. His body descended with a heavy thud and he choked on his own breath.

"Ooh, that was a nice throw!" smirked Siren, hopping with excitement.

The Captain turned over and reached for another spear. With anger, he pulled it forward and prepared to strike at Echo and Siren again.

"STOP!"

The voice broke the Captain's focus like a glass and he skidded to a halt. He raised his eyes forward to stare directly at a pair of ruby red eyes.

"Please! Stop fighting," cried Lucy. The Captain's voice fell flat as his mind began to hear echoes. She had a shocking resemblance to someone; someone he was meant to find.

"Lucy?" blinked Echo. Lucy turned around and faced Echo and Siren.

"Please stop this fighting! I don't want to see it anymore, please!"

"What's up with you? You look like you've seen a ghost…" uttered Siren.

Lucy looked like she was in fear and pain as she tried to keep herself straight on her feet. It was as if she was struggling with herself. Her hands flew to her head when sudden images appeared in her mind. She collapsed to the ground on her knees and Echo reached for her with surprise.

"Lucy!"

"No more! No more killing! Please!" screamed Lucy. The Captain felt his innards twist, "Stop it, please stop! Leave her alone!" Lucy looked like she lost control of herself as her eyes widen with shock. Echo wrapped an arm around her, hoping to return her to her senses.

"Leave who alone?! What's wrong? Lucy?!"

"O-oi!" wondered Siren.

"You can have the throne if that is what you want! But please, don't kill my mother!" Lucy let out a blood-curdling scream and Siren flinched. The Captain too winced from Lucy's cry of agony. Echo held his calm gaze over her. He then hugged Lucy in comfort.

"Everything's fine…no one will die…I promised I will never let anyone hurt you…Please…come back to me…" Lucy's eyes softened for a moment. Her pale hands slowly lowered and rested on Echo's arm. Tears started to cascade from her solemn gaze and she buried her head against his chest. Echo lightly stroked the back of Lucy's head as he let her cry, "Don't worry…I'm here…"

"Echo!" snapped Siren.

Suddenly, Echo eyes caught something ahead. He swiftly brought up his guitar and blocked a direct blow from a sharp spear. The guitar remained unscratched as it firmly held back the tip of the blood-thirsty weapon. If Echo had reacted any later, it would have pierced Lucy back of her neck.

"So…" breathed the Captain. Echo stared at the man. The Captain held his spear against Echo's guitar as he looked at Lucy with a mad glare, "This is where you've been hiding…Princess Lucrecia…" Lucy gasped and her eyes widened, "I've finally found you…" Echo swung his guitar around and reflected the spear back. The Captain took a few steps backward and gripped his weapon tightly, "By the will of King Baldaroy…your life must cease to exist…"

Lucy shivered with horror as she turned. She could not even utter a sound as her eyes connected with the Captain. Siren leapt forward, in between Echo with Lucy, and the Captain. He readied his dragon-shaped guitar, _Balrog_.

"Amscray or else!"

"Do you have any idea who that girl is?!" Echo and Siren perked their heads up to the Captain's word. He madly stared at Lucy, "She is the unwanted heiress of the royal throne! I must kill her, by orders of King Baldaroy!"

Lucy clung onto Echo in sheer fear, "Please leave me alone! I said I don't want the throne anymore!"

The Captain narrowed his eyes, "As long as you exist, you are still an everlasting threat to his Majesty's reign…As a Royalgard, I must ease his pain and use all means to protect his position in dictatorship…"

Siren glared at the Captain spitefully, "I just had enough of your blabbering! Hit the skies creep!" The boy then slashed his hand across his strings and it blasted a massive wave at the Captain. The blast was so strong it practically shot the Captain into the air like a catapult. With an agonized cry, the Captain disappeared into the night. Siren smirked as he stroked his thumb under his nose, "Buh-bye!"

Echo held onto Lucy as tears kept rolling down her cheeks, "Are you alright?"

Lucy lightly shook her head, "My head…it hurts…"

Suddenly, a house nearby lit up its windows. It was soon followed by a series of lights as Echo and Siren watched them appear.

"Uh-oh…busted…" uttered Siren.

"Come on, we can't stay here like this…" said Echo.

Echo picked up Lucy in his arms and she blushed. He then led Siren into the woods close by as townspeople slowly emerged onto the street with curiosity. The people were puzzled at the small craters that were scattered across the town roads.

*****

From the sky, a flailing and screaming body descended over a dense forest. It went right passed the branches and fell straight to the ground with a dull thud. The body was encased in battered armor and his cape was torn to shreds. He struggled to his feet as he madly whirled around at his surroundings.

"Blast it all!" muttered the Captain, "And I was this close to killing that accursed princess!" He stood within a dark forest, some miles away from the town where he was launched from. The Captain cringed from the pain in his chest and stumbled towards a nearby cave. He rested his back against the cave mouth and huffed heavily.

"I swear…I will kill that girl…and those pesky Dirges!" A low growl echoed behind his shoulder and he froze.

Slowly, the Captain turned to peer inside the cave. It was deep, dark, and looked empty as far as the moonlight's shine could reach. There was nothing at all. Another groan echoed and he turned his entire body around. He hid behind the opening and forced his eyes to adjust to the darkness. His eyes widened.

He instantly slammed his back against the cave mouth and nearly screamed. He slapped his metal gloves at his mouth and quickly skirted away from the opening. When he felt safe enough to release his mouth, he revealed his pale lips, "A Dirge…" He peered back into the cave and ducked again, "A real Dirge monster…"

Frantically, the Captain searched his body for a weapon. To his shock, he remembered what happened with the fight against Dreamweaver and Firesplitter. He cursed under his breath and anxiously patted his belt. His hand then slapped onto a hard object and he turned. He stared at a pouch on his belt and he opened it, completely forgotten what was inside. A chill went down his spine. Within the pouch rested several fragile looking spheres with cyan liquid floating inside.

"H2Gs" shivered the Captain. He pulled his hands away from the specially forged explosives: the Royalgards' standard issue Holy Helm Grenades. A shudder crawled over his shoulders.

That was when the shudder gave him an idea. He grinned and peered back into the cave. With his left hand, he started to pull out a shiny H2G.

*****

"Okay, the coast is clear," replied Siren. Echo and Lucy sat upon a fallen log as Lucy dabbed her eyes with Echo's clean handkerchief. Siren joined them and sat on a stump, after he did a quick search for any unwanted followers.

They all huddled together within the woods, far from the town. It was dark and quiet as the chilly winds howled throughout the night. Lucy could not help as shiver as the cold got to her. Suddenly, a familiar yellow scarf was passed to her and she turned to Echo.

"Here," he smiled.

"But I−"

Echo simply gestured his scarf at Lucy. She hesitated at first and slowly accepted the offer. She gingerly wrapped the silk-like scarf around her neck. Soon, she felt the warmth coming back to her body as her shivering stopped.

"Better?" asked Echo. Lucy nodded.

"Eh…I don't mean to pry into your private life or anything, Lucy, but I was wondering," slowly wondered Siren, "…are you really the princess of the Kingdom Lanchastria?"

Lucy's air of bliss shattered around her and she lowered her gaze. She hesitated for a long and silent moment, but she stared at Echo. He returned a smile of understanding and nodded back to her. Lucy then turned to stare at the ground.

"I…am…"

Siren raised his eyebrows, "Whoa, that's big…"

"Y-yes…" uttered Lucy. She then straightened, half proudly and half fearfully. In an instant, she lost her pose and confidence as she felt frightened. A hand rested onto hers and her fears were washed away. Lucy turned to Echo, who kept his calm smile. He lightly squeezed Lucy's hand to give her the confidence she needed to speak. She nodded and took in a deep breath.

"I…am Princess Lucrecia Uvalairea Argentinae Lanchastria…Lucy is a special name my mother gave me as soon as I was born…I cherish it always…" Lucy felt her shoulders shudder and she took deep breaths. Both Siren and Echo waited patiently as she continued, "I am the heiress to the royal throne of Lanchastria…My father passed away half a year ago after a battle with the Dirges…"

"The real monsters of this world…" muttered Siren, "ha, and to think, that crummy Captain and his tin-can parade thinks we're the Dirges!" Echo gave him a quiet look. Siren returned a sheepish grin and made a zip-lips gesture.

"When my father passed on…things became chaotic. My mother had no choice but to take charge of the throne for my father…until the day my coronation will take place…" A tear clung on to Lucy and she tried to clear it. Echo helped as he held her hand to give her comfort, "But my uncle…he…" She placed a hand over her mouth and fought back her tears, "…killed my mother so he can become king!"

Siren grimaced and he rolled his eyes, "Geez, creeps like him should be the ones dead…whoa wait…King Baldaroy is **your** uncle?!"

Lucy hesitated before returning a nod. Siren blankly blinked, "Whoa that is big…"

"Because my mother wanted to protect me…she gave up her life so I can escape…I then ran, far away from the kingdom…That is when I came here. The townspeople took me in and cared for me like I was their child…I am indebted to their kindness and I don't know how to return the favour…"

Echo smiled, "You don't need to return the favour for unconditional kindness…"

Lucy nodded and wiped away her tears, "I know…but still…" Her hands stopped wiping at her tears as she started to cry sorrowfully, "It's my fault my mother died!" She then threw her head into Echo's chest and tightly hugged him. She let out her tears she had held back for many months. Echo lightly stroke the back of her head, as if comforting a sadden child.

Siren sighed and stared up into the sky, "Politics…can't live with them, barely can survive with or without them…"

"I'm sorry, Lucy…I hope now that you finally let out your words, you'll feel a lot better…" whispered Echo.

Lucy nodded and held Echo tightly, "I really miss my mother…"

Echo gave a faint smile, "I understand…"

Siren glimpsed at the two with uncomfortable eyes, but he never uttered a word. He let out a breath of frustration as he tried to understand the ways of royalty. Without any sort of words, he pulled out his guitar and started to play it with a hint of blues. The sound was normal and intriguing, which caught the attention of Lucy. She turned in Echo's arms and peeked at Siren playing his guitar.

"Wh…what is that anyways?" she asked. Siren perked his head up in realization.

"Wha, this?" pointed Siren at his instrument, "it's called a guitar…"

"A gui…tar? What a strange instrument…"

Echo continued to stroke Lucy as he held her in his arms, "It's our medium to use our powers as Guitar Heroes…"

Lucy sniffed back her tears and sat up as Echo released her, completely forgetting her pains and sorrows, "What is − *SNIFF* − a Guitar Hero?"

Lucy shook with surprise when a series of screeching notes blared out. Echo was calm as he turned to his left. Lucy turned as well just as the abrupt introduction of the music ended.

"Ha-ha!" chuckled Siren. He was on his feet, with one foot on top of a stump. He had an air of excitement and pride as he planted his palm against his guitar strings, "Us! We, my little friend, are the ones chosen to wield the sacred powers of Rock!"

Echo too stood up and tapped his guitar to the ground beside him, "Correct. We are particular individuals that have develop a natural talent for this new source of music. With this power and these guitars, we can tap into our Inner Circle."

"Inner Circle?" wondered Lucy.

Siren rapidly strummed his fingers across his keyboards, his body bopping to the beat, "The Inner Circle is a dimension where all living creatures and humans alike share one source of energy. We Guitar Heroes have a much stronger link to it and can access its energy at will in order to use Rock-Magic! _Yeow_!"

Echo started to play as well. He closed his eyes and leaned his head forward, in depth with the music he played. Lucy was amazed by the two as they played their soul out from it in their own peculiar fashion. As if created from their mixture of music, faint images started to appear around Lucy. To her surprise, the imaged condensed to become spectre-like Elf children. They playfully danced around Lucy as they laughed. Lucy smiled with bewilderment as she raised up her arms for the Elfen children to go under around in circles.

"We are Guitar Hero…our strengths and allegiances are crucial to this world…" spoke Echo, "though we may be young, we could either make the world…or break it…"

Lucy was surprised and she turned to Echo. A sad smile crossed his face as he ended his song on his guitar. Siren calmly grimaced and did the same. Soon, the Elfen children faded away from Lucy's sight. One of them waved a sad good-bye before it totally disappeared. Lucy lowered her gaze with a quiet air around her.

"It must be difficult…to be who you are…" she whispered.

Siren shrugged, not caring, "Ah…not exactly. We do have our perks though."

Echo nodded with a smile, "Not matter what…some of our kind merely prefer to spread this unique music around the world…"

Siren gazed up at the starry night with a hopeful grin, "We strife towards one common goal…no matter how impossible it may be to achieve…"

"We wish to be only accepted as who we are, among the people that fear and hate us…" ended Echo.

A gentle hand rested onto Echo's hand. He was taken aback and turned to the hand's owner. It was Lucy, who smiled at him.

"Don't worry, Echo. One day I know that you and your friends will finally live in peace…" she said, "I will help you as well…as a thank you for…protecting me…and…"

Echo cracked a grin, "And being your fiancé?" Lucy's face blushed madly as she threw her gaze to the ground. She returned an extremely shy nod.

Siren was aghast, "Whoa, what? Fiancé?! You two are−" Suddenly, a scent rolled into his nose and he sneezed.

"Bless you…" whispered Echo.

"No-no, it's not the cold," snuffed Siren, completely forgetting his last thought. He closed his eyes and focused on the scent, "It smells like something is burning…"

Lucy gently pulled away from Echo's embrace and sniffed back her tears, "B-but that can't be…It's nearly dawn and the only person making firewood would be…me…"

"Well…I smell smoke…that must mean−" wondered Siren.

An earth-breaking explosion shattered the night silence. Then a flash of scarlet red painted the dark sky as black smoke bled into the air.

The explosion nearly tossed Siren off his seat, "What the heck was that?!"

Echo was entirely taken aback, his calm face shattered under the eerie red aura. Lucy's eyes widen with absolute horror.

"The village!"

*****

Echo, Siren, and Lucy all ran back to the once peaceful village. As soon as they entered the village grounds, the air left their very souls.

Everything was in a massive sea of flames. Inferno raged uncontrollably as their blaze kicked over houses and old buildings. Nothing was with mercy.

"EVERYONE!" screamed Lucy. She dashed towards the village inn, her only home and sanctuary. Echo immediately held her back.

"No! It's too dangerous! Stay back!" cried Echo. He and Lucy struggled against one another as she madly kicked and clawed at the air.

"MRS. LORIEE! MR. CORNIUS! EVERYONE! NOOOOOOO!"

Siren could not believe his eyes as he whirled around him. Suddenly, he raised his head up, "INCOMING!"

A giant figure came screeching down from the sky. With a devastating crash, the figure landed right on top of the remains of the inn. Lucy froze with a gasp. Echo kept his hold onto Lucy, but readied himself for an attack.

From the erupting ashes, a hideous creature rose to its feet. It had a long lizard-like neck and a ravenous vulture's head, connected to a small red scaled reptilian body. Above the fields of inferno its pterodactyl wings outstretched with a menacing sight. Its eyes flashed evil-crimson red and it pierced the night sky with a blood-curdling shriek.

Lucy screamed as she cupped her ears, unable to bear the pain. Siren too cupped his ears with a sneer, but Echo merely glared at the monstrous creature, unfazed.

"It's a Dirge!"

"I know, I know!" growled Siren. The fiery haired boy released his ears and whipped forth his guitar at the ready, "Still, why is it here?!"

"Ha-ha! Let the menacing wildfire consume all who resists against King Baldaroy's will!"

Echo and Siren turned to the menacing voice. Lucy snapped out of her fear and turned as well. He face blanched.

It was the Captain. His armor was battered and practically ripped to shreds. Scores of soot painted his armored body and face. He had a smug look on his face as he chuckled, tiny puffs of smoke wisped out of his lips.

"This is all your fault…Princess Lucrecia…" he muttered. Lucy gasped with fear and clung onto Echo tightly, "If you had not been a good girl and never ran away in the first place, you would never have been hunted down. It was because of your actions that eventually led me, Captain Morgan of the 26th Royalgard platoon, to your hiding place…" The Captain stepped forward with a mad grin, "Face it princess! Everything is destroyed because of you! Nothing will be at peace as long as you live! No one, not even your dead mother, can save you now! Submit your life to your fate! _This is all your fault_! _**HA-HA-HA-HA**_!"

Without warning, a pair of hands gripped at the exposed collar of the Captain's uniform. He glared down at the one who held him with angry eyes, Echo. The boy yanked the Captain closer to reveal the anger under his sea-cerulean glare.

"No…" breathed Echo, "this is all **your** fault!" Echo spun around and heavily tossed the Captain into the sky. He flailed in the air as he howled a bewildered cry. Right before he hit the ground, the winged Dirge swooped down from the sky. It swallowed him whole in one gulp.

Siren's face twisted in disgust, "Ew…did you have to throw him like that?"

Echo nervously blinked, "I was actually going for the fire…" The Dirge was about to screech, but choked and gagged.

"Ugh…I think you made it sick…I think you made **me** sick…" muttered Siren. The Dirge shook off its queasy feeling. It ignored everything with a howling screech that shook the ground.

Echo calmly gazed at the Dirge. Siren gently brought Lucy to his side. Together the boys stood side by side in front of her and stared at the dragon-like Dirge.

"Geez that buzzard's big!" whistled Siren.

Echo graciously retrieved his sun-yellow from Lucy and started to wrap it around his neck. He let it loosely hang off around his neck like a cape.

"I don't think either of us doing a solo performance is going to help…" wondered Echo. Soon, Lucy noticed that the two boys exchanged a widening grin.

"You up for a rockin' duet?" smirked Siren.

"Glad to," lightly bowed Echo.

Siren and Echo brandished forth their guitars, _Balrog_ and _Arbiter_. They grinned as Echo caught onto his flapping yellow scarf and Siren held up his left hand with his red armband. The two objects slapped into each other, sparks danced from their touch. In reaction, they started to glow their colors. Echo and Siren's eyes flashed brightly, with electrifying sea-cerulean and burning flame-yellow.

To Lucy's surprise, a circular field was raised. A wall of transparent violet energy swirled around the entire burning village in a ringed-barrier. Once the wall connected to its starting point, a bright reflection pulsed across its strong surface.

"Outer Field set up!" grinned Siren.

"Inner Circle, linked!" replied Echo.

Siren took a step forward, "I'll take the lead."

Echo smiled with an affirmative nod, "Go right on ahead."

Siren thrust out his hand and pointed directly at the winged Dirge. A wide and confident grin stretched on his face, "Let's get this party started, _Through the Fire and the Flames*_!"

"Inferno Unicorn Remix!" called out Echo.

Instantly, Siren started to rapidly pluck his fingers across his guitar strings. With unbelievable speed and accuracy, he chained the guitars into a beginning verse of a fast paced song. Soon, Echo followed in suit as he too rapidly played his guitar, skilfully following Siren's pace.

A glowing white portal opened up above Echo and he called out, "Twilights, assemble!" From the portal flew out his four glimmering unicorns with armored heads, energy rail guns across their backs, sabre-like wings, and a jagged dagger horn: the Twilight Pegasus.

"Let's Burn! Flare Basilisk!" called out Siren. Two glowing orange portals opened up around him. From them, a pair of large cobras made out of flames lashed out. Like streamers, they elegantly flew through the air.

The Dirge let out an ear-piercing shriek to bring fear into the hearts of the Guitar Heroes. It proved to be useless. Together, the Fire Basilisk and the Twilight Pegasus charged at the Dirge and begun their assault. So did the Guitar Heroes.

Echo instantly ended the song's intro by curling his finger around one string and pulled it hard. A high-pitch screech followed as the string stretched dynamically from his pull. He immediately caught onto his guitar and continued to play normally, the string unaffected.

_Siren: __On a cold winter morning – in a time before the light! In flames of death's eternal reign – we ride towards the fight!_

_Echo:__ When the darkness has fallen down – and the times are tough alri~ght! The sound of e~vil laughter falls – around the world to-ni~ght!  
_

They rapidly played a chain of notes across their guitars. In cadence, their summoned creatures flew forward and struck out at the Dirge from all sides. The Twilights flew around the Dirge, firing bolts of plasma straight at its head and chest. The Flares slithered tightly around the Dirge's body, blasting tongues of flames from their sides against its flesh. The Dirge screeched as it thrashed the air with its claws, attempting to take down one Twilight or Flare.

Lucy stared in utter bewilderment. She watched both the battle of mystical creatures and the rapid song being played by the two Guitar Heroes as she stood in awe.

_Siren & Echo__: On the blackest plains – in [death's] domain – we watch them as they go~…In fire and pain – now once again we kno~w!  
_

Suddenly, the Flares and Twilights backed away from the Dirge. Lucy kept her eyes on them as they started to flash brightly. Magically, the Twilights and Flares merged together, becoming a new force of mystical creatures.

The Twlights have now become burning winged horses with fire-orange skin. Flames danced across their hooves as they reared back in a wild manner. With a whinny, the four burning Flare/Twilights marched forward at the Dirge. In their blazing storm, trails of flames followed in their fierce gallop.

_Siren: __So now we fly ever free~ we're free before the thun-dersto~rm!_

_Echo: On towa~rds – the wilderness – our quest carries o~n!  
_

_Siren & Echo: __Far beyond the sun~down – far beyond the moon~light! Deep inside – our hearts and all our sou~ls!_

The Dirge insantly took flight and charged against the Flare/Twilights head-on. Lucy braced against a strong gust of wind. Echo and Siren stood side-by side and blocked it from her altogether.

_Siren & Echo: So __– far – away – we wait for the da~y! For the lives – all so wasted – and go~ne!_

They rapidly strummed their fingers like mad, with utmost precision and skilled accuracy.

_Siren & Echo: __We feel the pa~in – of a lifetime lost in a thou~sand days! Through the fire – and the flames – we carry o~n!_

The Dirge and the Flare/Twilights clashed. The Flare/Twilights broke their tight formation and dispersed around the Dirge. The trails of flames soared around the creature as it seared its purple flesh. The Flare/Twilights zipped across the Dirge's body and relentlessly fired fiery bolts of energy at it in a nimble strafe.

Siren and Echo furiously strummed their fingers across their guitars. The song was unbelievably fast, but both Guitar Heroes were so in depth in playing that they completely ignored with ease. They played out a powerful and long bridge, which made them switch roles in extremely difficult soloing. Still, they were able to crack excited grins and chuckles as the flames raged around them. To Lucy, she was surprised that they were actually enjoying it.

The Dirge thrashed at the air with its wings. The Flare/Twilights regrouped and dove under the attack. Together they transformed into an arrowhead of raging flames and struck into the Dirge's chest. Both the Dirge and Flare/Twilights attack drove them all straight into the heart of the burning village.

_Siren: __…And – on the – wings – of – a – dream – so far be-yond re~ality!  
_

_Echo: All alone – in desperation – now the time has co~me!  
_

_Siren: Lost inside __– you'll ne~ver find… _

_Echo: …Lost within__ – my own mind…  
_

_Siren & Echo: DAY AFTER DAY – THIS MISERY – MUST GO O~N!_

They slapped their hands across their guitar strings, sparks danced into the air.

The Flare/Twilights arose from the ashes like magnificent phoenixs. Even Lucy was captivated by their flight. The Dirge struggled to stand as it laid across its back in a deep and smoldering crater. Above, the Flare/Twilight circled the sky like a halo. Suddenly, a magical ring, with arrays of symbolic Runes inside it, appeared within their circle. The ring condensed to become sharper and clearer. It started to glow brightly, shining a beam of light over the Dirge. The Dirge's body thrashed around in pain, but its twisted body was soon frozen stiff.

_Siren & Echo: So far awa~y – we wait – for the da~y!_

_Echo: For the lives__ – all – so – wasted – and go~ne!  
_

_Siren: We – __feel – the pa~in – of a – lifetime lost in a thou~sand days!  
_

_Siren & Echo: THROUGH – THE FIRE – AND THE FLAMES – WE CARRY O~N!_

The two's fingers blazed across their guitar as they played the song's outro. Siren strummed his final solo to the song. Both he and Echo glared at the trapped Dirge as they came near to the end of their song. The two had ecstatic grins on their faces.

"_**Finale Overdrive: Fire Storm Edge!**_" they cried in unison.

Together, at the last sharp note, the Flare/Twilights rose up into the air and dove straight through the center of the magical ring. In a flash, a massive blade of burning orange energy was created and struck dead center into the Dirge.

In one last burst of light, the Dirge was shattered like a paint-glass window. Its shards flew up into the air and faded towards the skies. The Outer Field unwounded itself from around the village and too vanished. Slowly, the blaze of the unfortunate village died down. Soon, silence overwhelmed the heated air.

The Flare/Twilights faded into evaporating smoke, as their work was completed. Echo and Siren lowered their guitars with a smile of relief. Echo finally let out a sigh, breaking the silence.

"Looks like that Dirge won't be coming back…" he grinned.

Siren scoffed. He hefted his guitar onto his left shoulder, "If it does we'll just have to kick its butt again, won't we…"

Echo chuckled. He stopped halfway when he remembered something very important. He turned to Lucy. She was quiet, still shakened and bewildered from the recent series of events.

"Everyone…" she whispered under her breath, "I…forgive me…" A hand rested onto her shoulder. She was surprised and looked up. It was Echo who stood before her, calmly smiling.

"Don't worry…it's not your fault…I know that it isn't, trust me," he replied. Lucy's red eyes instantly welled up with tears. She tried to hold them back, but eventually gave in and rested her face against Echo's chest.

Siren sighed as he turned back to the burnt village. To his dismay, no one was seen standing. Not even bodies were found on the spot.

Echo gently embraced Lucy in his arms. He lightly stroked the back of her head as she cried.

"I promise you, Lucy…I will take care of you…I will protect you…" whispered Echo. He cracks a sheepish grin, "but it's gonna be a rough trip when you're with us…I hope you don't mind…""

Lucy wrapped her arms around Echo. She lightly shook her head and closed her eyes, hearing the truth in his heart-beat.

"Thank you…Echo…"

* * *

**Author's Notes**

"Guitar Hero" rock-music game series produced by Activision.

"Through the Fires and the Flames" by Dragonforce (2006)

Lyrics from LyricsWiki.


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